Author Archives: Rikki's Refuge

About Rikki's Refuge

Supported entirely by donations from kind and loving individuals, Rikki's Refuge in Orange County, Virginia, is a 450 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals. The refuge is home to over 1200 animals of over 20 different species, including but not limited to cats, dogs, sheep, goats, rabbits, pigs, emus, chickens, ducks, geese, a chukar, peacocks, and more. It is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc. an approved not-for profit Virginia Corporation and IRS tax code 501(c)(3) corporation as determined by the IRS. Federal Tax-ID number 54-1911042. A financial statement is available upon written request from the State Office of Consumer Affairs.

Thanksgiving Day Tour and Reception – JOIN US

MARK YOUR CALENDARS and RSVP TODAY!!
Thanksgiving Day Tour and Reception
SIZED - T-Giving Tour 2018
We celebrate this day of thanksgiving with the animals that YOU have helped save! Please join us!
Thursday, Novermber 22, 2018
12:00pm ~ Tour & Visit with the Animals
2:00pm ~ Reception at the Life Center
Donations of Cat Food appreciated
RSVP Tours@RikkisRefuge.org

ThanksLiving at Rikki’s Refuge – JOIN US

Mark Your Calendars!
Compassionate ThanksLiving Tour with the Animals & Potluck Celebration
SIZED thanks 2018
We celebrate the lives of our beautiful resident turkeys – we dine WITH our friends, not on our friends. Please join us!
Saturday, November 17, 2018
1:00pm ~ Tour & Visit with the Animals
3:00pm ~ Gather, Appetizers
4:00pm ~ Main Animal Friendly Feast
$25 Donation and/or Veg Potluck Dish
RSVP Tours@RikkisRefuge.org

Sweet Petey

Look at the adorable smile on Petey’s face. He is a happy, happy resident at Rikki’s Refuge.
Petey goat smile smilingHis life wasn’t always so great ~~ Petey was found as a stray wondering the country lanes. His hooves had not had attention for ages, they had grown up and all around his feet. He was flea and tick infested. After pulling over 100 ticks off, we gave up and had to use chemicals. We didn’t want to because he was so anemic and so weak and passing several kinds of worms too. He was the skinniest goat we have ever seen.
It took over two months to build his strength up and put some weight on him so he could get neutered. And until he was neutered he had to stay in isolation. He might have been too weak to do much … but we feared what he might do if allowed to be with the goat herd !!!!Petey goat
Thanks to YOU and your support, Petey now has goat friends and has learned to trust humans again. Thank you so much for saving poor homeless critters like Petey ….. www.RikkisrRefuge.org/Donate …. every penny is one step in the right direction on the path of saving lives. And we couldn’t do this work without your support!!

Sponsor a Turkey at Rikki’s Refuge

You can make a meaningful impact in the lives of our rescued turkeys –

SPONSOR A TURKEY, DON’T EAT ONE!!

Happy turkeys at Rikki's Refuge

Happy turkeys at Rikki’s Refuge

Sponsor one of these sweet birds for $10.42 per month or $125.00 per year ~ for yourself, or as a special gift for friends and family! With each sponsorship, you will receive a lovely pdf photo of one of our amazing turkeys!Sponsor a Turkey 2018 (1)
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www.RikkisRefuge.org/FeedMe (choose Turkey Sponsorship in drop-down) or Paypal directly
to Mail@RikkisRefuge.org (put TURKEY in notes)

JOIN US TODAY AT RIKKI’S REFUGE TO CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF SAVING ANIMALS!

Family Members, Donors, Volunteers, and Sponsors are invited to join us TODAY October 13, 2018 from noon – 4 pm at our Vincent D. Cat Memorial Life Center to celebrate our birthday and see the good work that YOU have done and visit the animals that YOU have saved ! And if you can’t make it, but would love to give the animal a birthday gift, click right here!

In case you missed it, here is the story from our founder, Kerry Hilliard, on how Rikki’s Refuge began……………kerry and opie

Why have I chosen to do what I do?

Because I believe everyone deserves life Everyone deserves love. Everyone deserves respect. Everyone deserves trust. Everyone deserves a home. Everyone deserves to be important simply for who they are.

Everyone means the elderly, the differently abled be it mentally or physically, the ill, everyone, without exception, no matter how many legs they may have or how long their ears are.

Over 40 years ago I first looked into the eyes of an animal that had been abandoned by everyone he loved, everyone he trusted, discarded from the only world, the only family, he had ever known, and now knew he was about to be killed and tossed in the trash simply because there was no one else to care, no one else to love him, no one else to let him live.

No one should feel that kind of pain, that kind of loss, that kind of hopelessness of losing the one they love, being betrayed by the one they so fully trusted, losing their whole world, and now their life, all at once; all because nobody cared. Trust, respect, love; these are things we, every living being on this earth, want and live for.

Absolute breach of trust is a horribly devastating thing. I knew I wanted to make those broken hearted, betrayed, untrusting, lost and scared souls once again find trust, love and a happy place.

Since looking in those hurt, untrusting, unloved, abandoned eyes that day, all I’ve wanted to do with my life is see eyes like that become happy, trusting and joyful again. His eyes became the driving force in my life and what I have lived every day for ever since.

His name was Justin, by the way, and he didn’t die that day. He was a little tabby cat and he came home with me that day and lived with me for the rest of his life, a little over 16 years.

Now, over 40 years later, there have been thousands, almost ten thousand, eyes like his I’ve looked into and helped to change from untrusting, sad, fearful and unloved, to trusting, happy, loving, and joyful and given them a home where they are appreciated for who they are.

What more can anyone want in life?
What makes Rikki’s Refuge special?

Rikki’s Refuge, and all the humans who have made it happen, the donors, the volunteers, the staff, are very, very special. Yet they are no more special that everyone working towards the same goals everywhere. None of us can do it all. Yet we can all do enough to count. When everyone chooses to help, then together, we will do it all, and no one will be left to suffer and die for lack of love and a home.

Rikki’s Refuge is no more special than the adoption agencies who find new loving and caring homes for those abandoned and born on the street. No more special than those who rescue the abused. No more special than those who work to make speutering available to everyone. No more special than those who educate the masses.

Rikki’s Refuge is different, in that we can offer life long homes and care.

We are blessed to have the land, the volunteers and the staff to help us build and maintain housing and to care for everyone every day; to care for them as in feeding and cleaning and giving medications. And, just as important, to care for them as in loving and treating them all as beloved family, no matter what.

That is what sets Rikki’s Refuge aside from most other animal organizations: the ability wonderful donors and volunteers have given us to provide caring, loving, forever, life long, family environment homes to all the different creatures who inhabit our many neighborhoods; Feline Fields, Doggy Downs, Piggy Paradise, Horsey Haven, Chicken City, Ducky Digs, Goosey Gardens, Ramsey Residence, Capri Corners, Pigeon Palace …. and all the other areas designed just for the happiness and comfort of their residents.

 

 

Sweet Feed Needs

We need your help! We need SWEET FEED!! We have lots of residents who need it so it goes really fast!! Each bag is $8.99 and we use THREE (3) whole bags each and every day! We have a LOT of mouths to feed!
papa pig straw on face ciute
If you can help, you can order it from the Orange-Madison Coop here in Orange, VA and we will pick it up (phone number below)! Does it get any easier than that?? Your money goes directly to getting us the product and no fees are taken out!! Can you help???
**Orange-Madison Co-op (Southern States) 540-672-2977
**Email with any questions: Rikki@RikkisRefuge.orgWe need sweet feed!!

 

Milo – The Unicorn Goat ?!?!?

Milo joined us several years ago as a little dude after someone rescued him from a petting zoo as a sick and injured baby.

Sanctuary Manager Doug welcoming sweet little Milo to Rikki's Refuge!!

Sanctuary Manager Doug welcoming sweet little Milo to Rikki’s Refuge!!

Founder Kerry welcoming sweet little Milo to Rikki's Refuge!!

Founder Kerry welcoming sweet little Milo to Rikki’s Refuge!!

Soon they realized it wasn’t much of a life for him to live all alone in a small fenced area. So he came to Rikki’s Refuge where he gets to eat leaves and have lots of other goat friends. And,,, well … at Rikki’s little Milo with the one horn (our very own uncorn?) is not so little anymore!!  SIZED Milo goat

At Rikki’s Refuge we believe nobody should have to live alone as one of a kind.  milo goat portrait sweet 5-31-17

Donation Drop-Off at Rikki’s Refuge

Squirrel take her job of superivsing donation drop-offs very seriously

Squirrel take her job of superivsing donation drop-offs very seriously

DONATION DROP-OFF every SATURDAY at the Life Center from NOON to 2pm. (21410 Constitution Hwy, Rapidan, VA) – look for the brightly painted rainbow fence!!donations 2

WE have a constant need for the following:

** Funds for Medical Care
** Funds for Winter Hay
** Canned Cat Food
(pate preferred)
** Canned Dog Food
(pate preferred)
** Dry Cat Food
** Sweet Feed
** Cracked Corn
** Senior Horse Feed
** please NO dry dog food – that is the one thing we get more of than we can possibly use!
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate to help them todaydonation donations 2